Magic Trick
by PhoenixFantastic
Summary: Set during the events of the movie. Dr. Strange is still training at Kamar-Taj when he is visited by a smart-alec mutant who asks him a rather unusual riddle. Humorous One-Shot featuring my OC.


**This story takes place during the events of _Dr. Strange_ and will feature my OC _Sting_ who also appears in my other story _Angels and Darkness._ Please note that while I know the main plot points of _Dr. Strange_ I have not actually seen the movie, so please excuse any minor inconsistencies you may notice. **

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine except for my OC. All rights go to their respective owners.**

 **Thanks to Ms. Carol Burnett whose comedy skit _Yung Fool_ helped to inspire this one-shot.**

 ** _"Tell me, O Wise One, who can make the sun rise? . . ."_**

* * *

It was like Magic.

One moment the Kamar-Taj courtyard was empty except for the presences of Dr. Stephan Strange and Karl Mordo, the next moment a streak of silver and red had shot out of the sky, summersaulted across the pavement, and bounced into a standing position at the dead center of the square.

"Hi, Mordo!"

Karl and Strange paused their sparring. Strange realized that The Streak was actually a female human – specifically a girl about fifteen years old if he were any judge. Tall and skinny, she was practically a talking fishbone. She wore a dress with a grey top and a red skirt, and tall red boots. A hood completely covered her hair and doubled as a mask that disguised the upper half of her face, and a white rat that had just crawled out of a pocket in her skirt was draped over her shoulder.

"Sting." Mordo drawled in response.

The girl, presumably "Sting," nodded toward Strange. "Who's this? New guy?"

"This Dr. Stephan Strange. Strange, this is Sting."

The girl floated towards him as though gravity was something she only obeyed when she felt like it. Her orange-rimmed chocolate eyes bored into him.

"I've seen you before." The Doctor observed.

Sting shrugged and glanced at the rat on her shoulder. The rat twitched its nose at him and bobbed its head.

"Ditto."

"Is there something you need?" Asked Mordo. He seemed ready to be rid of their unplanned visitor.

"I'm looking for something - a tool I've lost. I'm wondering if it might be here."

Mordo considered this. "Ask the Ancient One. She would know."

"I don't suppose you would happen to know where she is at the moment." The girl asked innocently.

Mordo took the hint with a sigh and began to lead the way.

"Do you come here often?" Dr. Strange asked as they walked behind him. Well, _he_ walked, she levitated.

"Not at all."

He frowned. "Then how did you know I was new here?"

The rat on her shoulder lifted its head and squeaked into her ear.

"Baba says you smell more like someone from New York than someone who's been here for a long time."

"Baba?"

"Short for "Babaraba." Anyway, if you're from New York that's probably where I've seen you."

There was a short pause.

"Were you the vigilante who rescued me from two carjackers one night?"

She thought for a moment. "I think so. I cracked your windshield by accidence, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

"Sorry about that."

"It's fine."

Another pause.

"You threatened to sue me over your damaged car even though I had literally just saved your bacon."

"You threatened to make me breathe though my ears if I went through with it."

She grinned. "Yup."

"I'm not sure that would be physically possible."

"I noticed you weren't willing to take your chances, though."

They came to a room where the Ancient One was sitting on the floor in a lotus position with her back to the door. She rose to greet them as they entered.

"Hello, Sting." She said warmly.

"Hello!" Sting returned in a cheerful voice. She dropped to the ground and walked forward.

"I see you're already acquainted with my newest student."

"Yeah, funny story about that-"

"No need." The Ancient One cut her off with a wave of her hand. "I heard you as you were coming in."

Sting snickered with amusement. "So, how have you been?"

"Well, thank you. But, I am surprised to see you here."

"Yeah, um, I've lost something of mine."

The Ancient One eyed her shrewdly. "And why would you suspect it to be here?"

"Cause I've looked literally all over the planet and I haven't found it yet. Also, I had a tussle last week with some space pirates, and if it fell out of my pocket then – I don't think it did, but _if_ it did - then it would've probably landed around here." The Ancient One nodded as though receiving an expected answer and walked to the other side of the room to rummage through the drawers of a desk.

"Why didn't we hear about these pirates if they were so close?" Strange asked.

"It only took about ten minutes to get rid of them. Hardly, anything to worry about."

If Strange's interest hadn't been aroused before, it was now. "Are you a sorcerer?"

The girl snorted with the vehemence of someone who strongly disapproved of the Mystic Arts. "Heck, no!"

"Then what are you?"

Sting drew herself up and grinned saucily at him. "I'm awesome, that's what I am. I'm probably one of the awesomest people you're ever going to meet."

The Ancient One returned with a rectangular-prism shaped device which she handed to Sting.

"EEEEEE!" She squealed. "You _did_ have it! Thank you so much!" Mordo raised his eyebrows but refrained from saying anything. Strange was not so like-minded.

"What does that do?"

In answer, Sting pressed one end of the device, and a guitar appeared in her hands. She grinned. "Ain't it cool? It projects a hard-light hologram of any instrument I want, and it's programed to respond exactly as that instrument would." She strummed the strings as an example, then canceled the projection and dropped the device into her pocket. "I got it while I was visiting the planet _Tigustus._ " She turned back to the Ancient One. "Thanks again for saving this for me. It would have been incredibly hard to replace."

"Yes, I can imagine."

Sting eyed Strange for a moment, then turned back to the Ancient One. "By-the-by, how's the new student coming along?"

The Ancient One smiled with approval. "Exceptionally well."

"Mind if I quiz him?"

The Ancient One raised her eyebrows but nodded in consent. Sting turned back to Strange.

"Riddle me this, Newbie: Who can make the sun rise?"

Mordo groaned silently and pitched the bridge of his nose.

Strange took a breath. "Well, the sun cannot rise on the Earth if there is no Earth at all-" He paused and did a double take at Sting's face. Specifically, her eyes which were now gleaming brown instead of brown and orange. He almost didn't notice it at all because even though he was looking directly into her eyes, she wasn't looking directly into his. But now that he had noticed it, he couldn't unsee it and was thrown off his train of thought. "Er. . . therefore, the continued existence of the Earth is due to the combined efforts of its protectors, such as Masters of the Mystic Arts, who have been faithfully safeguarding it for centuries."

Sting smiled slightly, like a child who had gotten into the cookie jar without her parents noticing, and then shook her head. "Nope. Not a bad answer, but nope." She gave a better-luck-next-time shrug and was gone from the room almost before he'd realized it. "Be seeing you!"

Strange looked at the Ancient One. "What was the answer?"

"The Candyman."

 _"What?"_

She motioned toward the hallway, and Strange could make out the strains of Sting's cheerful whistle echoing back. (Truly, those halls were nothing if not acoustic.) She was whistling a song from an old Gene Wilder movie, and even though Strange had had only seen it a handful of times, its words still rang true in his head.

 _Who can make the sun rise? Sprinkle it with dew?_

 _Cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two?_

 _The Candyman. The Candyman can._

"She's managed to pose that question to almost half the people here." Mordo explained. "I think she's secretly disappointed that the Ancient One is the only one to get it right so far."

It was so utterly ridiculous, that Strange couldn't speak for several seconds. Finally, he asked, "What is she? Where does she come from?"

The Ancient One shrugged. "Honestly, we don't know."

"What about her claims that she's visited other planets?"

Mordo sighed. "We're still debating that one."

Strange stared for another moment longer before he pushed his Astral Form out of his Physical Form and took off down the hallway. He quickly caught up to Sting right as she reached the edge of the courtyard. For a moment she paused and looked around as though she sensed his presence, then she dove into a series of cartwheels and handsprings that carried her to the center of the square. In a single smooth motion, she rolled into a summersault, bounced to her feet and shot off into she sky. For one instant he could see her clearly against the blue.

Then she was gone. Vanished.

Like Magic.

* * *

 ** _". . . Why, the Candyman."_**

 ** _Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman_**

 **Thanks for reading!**


End file.
